Tag: Abhishek Joshi

MX Player promotes Abhishek Joshi to business head – SVoD

New Delhi: Video streaming service MX Player has elevated Abhishek Joshi as business head – SVoD (subscription business).

“I have been given an additional mandate and responsibility of building the SVoD business from ground up as the business head while managing my existing portfolio,” he stated in a LinkedIn post.

Joshi joined MX Player in October 2018 as head of marketing and business partnerships and lead marketing function (brand & digital performance) for new business launches like MX TakaTak. Before this, he worked with Sony Pictures Network India as SVP and head-marketing, subscription and content licensing- digital business.

He became a part of SPNI in June 2015 as VP and head – marketing and analytics, digital business – OTT and led a digital business leadership team. Joshi was also responsible for shaping overall business strategy with core focus being on marketing and communications (online and offline). He handled some of the most talked about campaigns and format brands like Indian Idol 6, IPL, Kaun Banega Crorepati 5, X Factor and a few fiction shows as well.

In his career spanning over two decades, he has worked with Reliance Big Pictures, Sab TV, ABP Group, Zenga Media and Max.

April 14, 2021
PROMAX INDIA IS THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE AN ADDITION TO AN EVEN MORE STELLAR LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS for ‘Re-Invent’ PROMAX INDIA VIRTUAL 2020 -CONFERENCE & AWARDS LIVE on 7th, 8th & 9th of October, 2020

Get transported into the Future of Creativity in Augmented Reality all the way from Sydney with Emile Rademeyer, and the Climb to the Top of the Pyramid and witness a fireside chat with Megha Tata and Navika Kumar, as they highlight their journey and experiences in the media landscape. Then, sit back, relax and get an insight into OTT Marketing where leading OTT marketeers will truly deep dive and unearth some non-conventional ways of winning customer.
’Re-invent’ Promax India Virtual 2020 promises to keep you engaged and entertained.

Emile Rademeyer presents The Future of Creativity in Augmented Reality….PART II.
Emile is Executive Director, Creative Strategy & Innovation at VANDAL in Sydney, Australia where he creates innovative moving image, sound, art, immersive and augmented reality experiences for public, commercial, advertising and entertainment platforms. Emile’s recognised talent earns international respect and he’s regarded as one of Australia’s most prolific new media, creative trailblazers.

So, take a seat and buckle up…! You are about to travel into the future and witness new augmented realities of creativity.

TOP OF THE PYRAMID – with Megha Tata & Navika Kumar
Promax India is proud to present Megha Tata, the MD of Discovery Networks who has made her place amongst the top CEOs of Media Networks & Navika Kumar, Group Editor – Politics, Times Network and her journey to go head-to-head with the predominantly male bastion of Indian TV Journalism.

Come join us for a Fireside chat with the two women powerhouses as they highlight their journey and experiences in the Indian media landscape.
A not to be missed session that will keep you entertained and inspired!

An engaging session on OTT Marketing as they share invaluable insights on new ways of winning and retaining customers. Led by Rahul Mishra of Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd and the panelists include Avi Kumar – Head Supply and Brand Marketing, ZEE5 India, Abhishek Joshi – Lead Marketing – MX Player & and others.

Rahul Mishra, Head of Marketing & Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd said, “Promax has been setting new standards in the M&E space and this year too Promax India 2020 promises to be an exciting and enriching event. I am looking forward to moderating the OTT session with industry stalwarts and getting to hear their perspectives in the changing times and bring new learnings for our industry.”

Avi Kumar, Head of Supply and Brand Marketing, ZEE5 India said “It is exciting to see Promax India Virtual Conference 2020 in a new avatar while adapting to the new challenges. As more and more audiences become receptive to the new way of entertainment, it is even more imperative for marketers, to constantly innovate and customize their offerings as per demand. The way forward for the OTT marketing landscape is going to be an interesting one, and this session will truly deep dive and unearth some non-conventional ways of winning customers.”

Abhishek Joshi, Head of Marketing and Business Partnerships at MX Player said, "Promax has always been at the forefront of bringing together industry leaders to explore and ideate on new strategies. I am looking forward to being a part of its virtual 2020 edition, discussing the world of OTT marketing that is now fostering and enabling new viewer relationships post pandemic – wherein a digital first, and most importantly a consumer first strategy has to be top priority."

Do register your teams at https://www.promaxindia.tv/indiavirtual2020/

RE-INVENT' PROMAX INDIA VIRTUAL 2020 – CONFERENCE & AWARDS goes LIVE on 8th & 9th of October, 2020

September 29, 2020
Samir Bangara: A visionary man, a talent spotter

MUMBAI: Unexpected losses feel hard on the heart. Samir Bangara, who died in a road accident, will be remembered for his visionary approach to digital reformation and how he spotted and nurtured talents. The co-founder and chief executive of Qyuki Digital Media was also a riding enthusiast.

He initiated his journey with Qyuki in 2013 which was initially launched by director Shekhar Kapur and Grammy and Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman in 2012. The platform was relaunched in 2014. While he earned quite a fame for his efforts to build Qyuki, he was in the midst of starting his own venture when he met Kapoor.

“It is with great sorrow that we inform you that our leader, mentor and trusted friend, Samir Bangara passed away in an accident this morning. We are all in a state of complete and utter despair and words will do no justice to express this loss. But it is our duty to absorb this shock for now so that we can be there for each other especially for his family, just the way Samir would have liked us to,” Qyuki COO Sagar Gokhale shared a statement.

Bangara was also the chief operating officer of Indigames and later led its sale to Disney. UTV bought 30.02 per cent in Indiagames and then increased its stake to 86.02 per cent from 56 per cent. Later, UTV was acquired by Disney India. Post the sale, he focused on integrating the interactive businesses of Indiagames, Disney and UTV into one team covering games, video and audio services while he was serving as managing director – digital at Disney UTV.

“Samir Bangara was special. Someone who was a friend, not just a partner at work. I was always struck by his rare ability to traverse topics and contexts, from a room full of MBA types talking strategy to having a sense of the street. His smile and eloquence will never leave my mind. His passing is an irreparable loss to the Indian digital industry and creators. He was a visionary and their true friend. Whenever I spoke to him, I had a feeling that we can do great things together for creators. He left the world better than he found it. He helped people, shaped careers, spread wisdom and made friends. He made the years count. His legacy will live on through every single person he impacted positively in his life. May god bless his soul and give his family and everyone at Qyuki Digital Media the strength to bear this,” Facebook India entertainment partnerships head Saurav Saket Jha commented on LinkedIn.

“Shocked and numb to hear about my friend Samir Bangara. I can’t believe he is no more. Gone too soon. My condolences to his family. Hope they find the strength to overcome this huge loss. You will be missed Samir, but you will always remain in our hearts,” House of Cheer founder and managing director Raj Nayak said on Twitter.

“I lost my super power today. Samir Bangara, you have been a mentor/friend/business guide and the biggest cheerleader. You believed in me like no one else in this world,” producer Gunit Monga said.

While he led Quiky to emerge at the forefront of new media, Bangara started his career in another vertical, in venture capital with IL&FS Venture corporation and moved on to being an investment banker with Ernst & Young. He was an alumnus of Mumbai University. In January, Qyuki hosted Epic Fam Jam, a festival dedicated wholly to India’s rising social media superstars. Reportedly, it also secured $3.5 million from Info Edge Venture Fund (IEVF) earlier this year.

“I met Sam about 10 years ago and he stood out for his extremely sharp mind and politeness and had a smile always. I fondly remember the chat in his office about his passion for bikes and he had a glint in his eyes discussing it. It's a big loss for me personally and the industry at large! RIP Sam!" MX Player CMO Abhishek Joshi said.

"We lost a true entrepreneur and one of the finest digital minds in the region. We’ve been buds for three decades when we entered uni together in 1990 and I’ve seen Sam grow into a thoroughbred professional into one of the finest businessmen right in front of me. Our careers were always in different areas but they would always converge at some key points in our lives. He used me for advice and I him, whenever we needed some unbiased advice," shared Universal Music Group India and South Asia MD and CEO Devraj Sanyal.

He added that eight years ago, the paths between Qyuki Digital Media and Universal Music India crossed and they ended up doing a bunch of stuff together.

"Together we founded the The Dharavi Dream Project our corporate social responsibility project which is also one of India’s largest #MusicForSocialGood projects. We did a ton of other stuff in the digital world and for us not to have him around is just something anyone in our industry can even begin to comprehend," added Sanyal.

"It’s gonna take some very real work for his partner and COO Sagar Gokhale to now lead the businesses in his stead with his teams, though he knows he has the full industry behind him willing him to succeed.
Godspeed Sam," said Sanyal's heartfelt LinkedIn post.

He was widely liked and admired by everyone in the industry for his visionary, cheerful and generous nature. Not only executives and celebrities but even people he mentored shared their grief over his sudden absence.

June 16, 2020
TV, OTT coexist and complement each other

MUMBAI: A panel discussion at The Content Hub 2020 discussed the topic of generating audiences and building stickiness around the content that has been created. The panel was moderated by ISOBAR India chief growth officer Shekhar Mhaskar with panelists Red Chillies Entertainment head marketing Binda Dey, MX Player head of marketing and business partnerships Abhishek Joshi, Juggernaut Productions chief operating officer (OTT) Samar Khan, Filme founder Abhishek Shukla, EVP Lionsgate India executive vice president Amit Dhanuka and Shemaroo Entertainment digital new media COO Zubin Dubash.

The panel discussed how content made is of no use unless and until it reaches the right audiences. Getting them to watch your content is important. The panel also discussed how traditional broadcasters would retain their core audiences in view of increasing affinity towards on-demand OTT platforms.

Binda Dey said, "I have been working in the broadcast sector for a long time. With OTT coming in, the number of ways in which people can consume content has increased. So, it is not television vs OTT but about how people want to consume content and at what time. In television Live content has been a big boom. There has been a lot of innovation in the way IPL is being promoted by Star. This is a kind of gamification where you are combining television with digital. It leads to consuming the same kind of content across different platforms.”

Amit Dhanuka added, “The content that you see on broadcast television and OTT platform has a stark difference because the consumer that’s consuming it on television vs the audiences who are consuming it on OTT have a different sensibility. One medium reaches out to a very mass pool of audiences while the other is looking for edgy content that has a certain sense of storytelling. Television is not in any way losing out on OTT. They, in fact, are complimenting in some manner.”

The panelists believe that OTT has given new audiences. It is giving someone who used to watch television earlier at 9 pm an opportunity to watch the same show at any time. OTT has supplemented television audiences in many ways and also brought in audiences who are not getting that content on television. They are now watching content on streaming services rather than traditional broadcast channels. Originals has opened up a brand new audience that was not getting its content on television. Because in television there is a different number of hours and limited slots available to make that content. On the contrary, OTT does not suffer from that as they do not have a designated slot. The Originals that are created for OTT are bringing in more stickiness which consumers were not getting earlier.

There are so many different platforms like television, cinema and OTT but the question arises are these platforms geared up to face the changing media consumption pattern.

Zubin Dubash said, "Shemaroo has been there for the last five decades as an organisation. We have been on every digital platform one can think of. So, when we started our OTT story with Shemaroo Me, we had ten years of solid data and consumption habits around our YouTube story. Today on YouTube Shemaroo’s content generates close to 3 billion views every month and we have got around 120 million MAUs on the YouTube platform consuming the content voluntarily. When looking at the business plan of Shemaroo Me we analysed that there is a lot of unmet demand of content that is cataloged and the content that has its shelf-life which doesn’t end ever. We have launched it a year ago, and during this time we witnessed a lot of traction bringing customers to say that a lot of AVOD content comes from Shemaroo.”

Sharing their views on the same panellists believe that platforms are challenging each other with better storytelling along with better special effects and technicians working on them. Audiences are now expecting better writing, better performances because now consumers are open to new challenges. It is in fact pushing platforms to create better content.

March 6, 2020
MX Player partners with OnePlus for OnePlus TV Q1 series

MUMBAI: Dominating the entertainment market as the leading video streaming app for 2019, MX Player has created a strong foothold in the streaming world since its launch. Going beyond the 6-inch screens and expanding its wide user base, the platform has announced a partnership with OnePlus, the global technology brand, for the OnePlus TV Q1 series.

This collaboration will enable the viewer to watch MX Player’s premium web series’ like Queen, Hello Mini, Madhuri Talkies, TV shows like Bold and Beautiful and Hindi dubbed films like Max Steel, Dear Comrade, The Expendables 2 amongst other offerings from its large content library on the smart TV. The service is available on the OnePlus TV Q1 series from 5 February onwards.

MX Player marketing and business partnerships head Abhishek Joshi said, “Our vision of everytainment encompasses not just mobile screens but any avenue that will help us provide entertainment for our users and their discerning needs. We are glad to be associating with One Plus TV which accelerates our growth and expands our reach through bigger screens and connected TVs that promise a huge future uptake. Their technology along with our specially curated shows will enable audiences to watch premium content for free, on a screen of their choice.”

OnePlus India general manager Vikas Agarwal said “We are thrilled to have MX Player on board and expand our suite of entertainment offerings. Given our community-first approach, we are sure our community will enjoy spending hours watching TV shows/movies on MX Player”.

The entertainment app offers viewers multi-genre and multilingual MX Originals and Exclusives along with an online library of premium content, the best in class offline video playing capabilities, audio music and now games – all on one common platform.

February 6, 2020
OTT and digital are becoming mainstream for advertisers: MXPlayer’s Abhishek Joshi

MUMBAI: With five original web-series, Times Internet-owned over-the-top (OTT) service MX Player made its grand entry in the highly contended Indian market. While the new entrant in the market has gained enough traction within six month of its launch, the platform has kept an eye on the most promising opportunity in the ecosystem, the regional belt. Since the launch, it has been taking several interesting marketing initiatives with a special focus on the marketing of Originals to create impact for the brand.

According to a report from RedSeer, a Bangalore-based research and consulting firm, MX Player has already acquired its place in the top three list in terms of users with 176 million monthly active users. To understand its marketing strategy, interest from advertisers, key challenges of the new player, Indiantelevision.com spoke to MX Player marketing and business partnerships head Abhishek Joshi.

Edited excerpts:

From local video player to a streaming service – what are the marketing initiatives you are taking to change the brand image among users?

The biggest opportunity we face lies in the question itself. The paradigm shift from offline to online and educating the user of the same is the task we were faced with. I think the biggest step we took was rebranding ourselves and creating the brand promise of “Everytainment”. This word brilliantly echoes our brand ethos and encapsulates all that we offer – which essentially is entertainment suiting your every need, want, mood, reason or season. Our approach for this messaging to reach the consumer stretches from associating with brands across demographics/categories, TV, radio and print (enabling us to reach out to those that are not present on the internet) and social + digital mediums to name a few. The marketing of our Originals is yet another avenue to create impact for the brand and we do so by bringing you innovative campaigns that appeal to varied palettes.

How are you leveraging the strength of your own network?

Many in the OTT market are players who are backed by large broadcasters and each uses the might of its network which is challenged by their own set of pros and cons. But having said that – it’s always an added edge that weighs in when needed.

Are OTT platforms, in general, seeing good interest from advertisers? Has it increased this year?

There’s no getting around the fact that OTT and corresponding advertising offerings are in hyper drive as more content and advertising inventory becomes available. The OTT and digital window is becoming mainstream to most advertisers so this definitely seems to be a trend that is here to stay.

A lot of campaigns are going digital-first. The way advertising is targeted to the user changes when you have a mobile in your hand. It’s the only entertainment device you carry with you 24*7. Advertisers see OTT as a compelling proposition: a high quality, brand-safe environment allowing for targeted ads along with a means for even better audience segmentation.

We, in fact, encourage branded content as an option as well which leads to great brand visibility. For example, our association with Too Yumm! for our show Love OK Please has seen great results for us as well as the brand.

What are the key challenges MX Player is facing in terms of marketing?

There has been a rise in the number of platforms and hence in the number of shows which presents marketers with an opportunity to make a mark with impactful campaigns. With everyone trying to bite into the same pie, the only edge one has is to be relevant to viewers, position the brand in a way that is simple to understand and yet compels them to be engaged which I believe is the biggest challenge for any marketer today.

Are you doing targeted advertising while attracting new consumers? Which are the key demographics you are attracting?

Big pivots are happening. From a marketing perspective, it’s really how you engage your viewers, use your data to target and make sure your messaging is reaching the right customer at the right time. As MX Player’s TG is digitally driven, we incorporate the digital and social mediums in all our marketing strategies and tactics.

Our approach is always dependent on the story and the narrative of what the series consists of. Based on that, we decide the route, medium and strategy to use for a particular show.

Our app caters to not just the top 8 cities but also a lot of tier II and tier III markets. The regional belt is an area that we are actively trying to nurture and build.

Which are the brands showing more interest in your content? Which are the new brands coming on-board?

These are announcements that we will make alongside the launch of the respective series. But currently, the platform sees a lot of ad traction coming in categories like FMCG, ecommerce, technology, telecommunication, banking and automobile with brands like OnePlus, Vivo, P&G, KFC, Reckitt and LIC amongst others.

August 19, 2019
MX Player ropes in Abhishek Joshi as CMO and head of business partnerships

MUMBAI: Times Internet’s MX player has roped in Abhishek Joshi as CMO and head of business partnerships. The media executive with over 17 years of experience had a long stint with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) and left the leading company last month.

Earlier to this new position, he worked as head of marketing, subscription, content and licensing of digital business at SPNI. Back in 2015, Joshi joined SPNI as VP & head – marketing & analytics, digital business. He had been a core member of digital business leadership team and also looked after global monetisation and syndication of SPN’s content across digital platforms in addition to heading marketing for SonyLIV.

The media executive has had experience n business development, marketing and content partnerships, strategy business planning and execution expertise spanning television networks, internet video, content distribution, Ad Agencies and brand licensing & marketing.

Prior to SPNI, Joshi was the CEO of Zenga Media. He was also associated with Reliance Big Pictures, SAB TV, ABP Group.

With an ambition to step into the growing OTT space, Times Internet acquired a majority stake in Seoul-based MX Player. Though the exact time has not been revealed till now but for certain the last quarter of this year will have this new player in the market.

October 26, 2018
SPNI ropes in Pravin Shivarkar as AVP marketing for digital business

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has roped in Pravin Shivarkar as associate vice president marketing for its digital business. The media professional with 13 years of experience took charge of his new role earlier this week.

Shivarkar will report directly to SPN digital business head Uday Sodhi. Prior to his current position, he was working with Tata CLiQ as the senior manager for digital marketing. He has worked with renowned brands including Times Internet Limited, MakeMyTrip.com, Yatra Online Pvt Ltd.

The newly appointed executive of SPNI has formal education in cyber laws, IPR, information security, e-commerce from National Law School of India University, Bangalore.

Last month, Abhishek Joshi resigned from the position of head of marketing, subscription, content and licensing of digital business at SPNI. Back in 2015, Joshi joined SPN as VP & head – marketing & analytics, digital business. He has been a core member of digital business leadership team and also looked after global monetisation and syndication of SPN’s content across digital platforms in addition to heading marketing for SonyLIV.

October 24, 2018
SPNI elevates Abhishek Joshi at digital biz

MUMBAI: Another media executive awarded for good work. Abhishek Joshi has been elevated as head of marketing, subscription and content and licensing of digital business at Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). The digital business for SPNI is headed by Uday Sodhi.

Joshi, till now VP and head marketing analytics and content syndication of digital business at the company, has been a core member of the digital business leadership team and looked after global monetization and syndication/distribution of SPN’s content across digital platforms in addition to heading marketing for SonyLiv.

Prior to SPNI, he was the CEO of Zenga Media where his core focus was on the needs of two basic constituencies — viewers and advertisers.

Joshi has over 17 years of experience in broadcast media and digital realm. With an in-depth knowledge of digital broadcasting, his expertise lies in content licensing and subscription, business planning and forecasting and contracts.

He started his carrier with the Kolkata-headquartered ABP Group as a group executive of circulation sales. After ABP, he did stints at a couple of other media organisations, including Reliance Big Pictures, before joining SPNI.

Joshi holds a post graduate diploma in marketing from a management institute in Pune.

Also Read :

OTTV 2017: Co-existence with traditional TV predicted, scope for OTT kids content

Shishir Gupta elevated as head content acquisition sports at SPNI

ZengaTV names Abhishek Joshi as CEO

June 4, 2018

Future Watch: Expectations from Indian OTT Industry in 2017

India has witnessed an over-the-top (OTT) explosion in 2016. The entry of leading international players, coupled with the rise of local OTT ventures, has only intensified the competition in a market earmarked for exponential growth.

Statistics underline why OTT is fast becoming the primary medium of entertainment consumption for Indian viewers. Over 65% of the 450+ million internet users in India are currently mobile-only, and the country is adding 6 million new internet users every month who are exclusively accessing digital connectivity through on a mobile phone.

With almost 2.1 billion people, or 28.7% of the world’s population, already estimated to own smartphones, the rate of smartphone adoption will continue to be robust across the globe with double-digit growth. Smartphones will also outstrip feature phones when it comes to sales and adoption. “Nearly 47.4% of mobile phone users own a smartphone at present. Keeping in mind the industry trends, smartphone users could very well outnumber feature phone users by the end of 2017.”

Nearly 47.4% of mobile phone users will possess smartphones by the end of this year. By the end of 2017, smartphone users will outnumber feature phone users. (Source: eMarketer)

Source: eMarketer

Source: iCube

Mobile is driving the growth for Internet in India; the country is predicted to be home to 640 million internet users and 700 million smartphone users by 2020 (Source: iCube). Online video content, as a result, is thriving; videos comprise 50% of total mobile data traffic at present. This clearly shows the potential that the Indian market is sitting on. The gold rush will continue in the future as well, as more viewers shift towards easy-to-use, on-demand services that offer cross-platform access.

The Indian OTT industry has been majorly driven by disruption. OTT Trends to watch for in 2017 (Source: MUVI):

LIVE Streaming:

As more consumers shift towards anytime, anywhere viewing experience, live streaming will continue to be in demand in 2017. To make the most of it, OTT platforms must have to leverage the following:
–   Capture live on Ad-hoc/breaking stories (to capture the thrill)
–   Live Sports & Events
–   Linear TV schedule of the series programming (creating a VOD playout)

People are demanding more and more live experiences for their favorite content over-the-top, especially for top content such as news and sports. Studies suggest that viewers in fact demand this content later if they miss the live broadcast.

Sports live streaming saw impressive reception in the year 2016, with UEFA European Champions 2016 in France scoring massive viewership on SonyLIV’s web and mobile app platforms. With much more expected in the live streaming space in the coming year, the trend is here to stay.

AR, VR & 360 videos:
Videos in recent times have moved beyond their traditional boundaries and have become more immersive with the advent of augmented reality and virtual reality tech. With 4K becoming the hot new trend for device manufacturers, video qualities have improved dramatically. As a result, engaging life-like experiences through videos are no longer far-fetched fantasies, but are actively becoming a part and parcel of the overall entertainment viewing.

Original Content:

OTT players have started coming up with their own original series to hook viewers’ attention. This is generating impressive traction and has viewers switching over from the expensive Pay TV, thanks to the freshness and greater relevance of the content as well as the increased convenience of anytime, anywhere viewing.
Hybrid Platforms:

OTT right now, is at a position where e-commerce was a few years ago – new, and trending, and adapting to new ways of winning. Making OTT platforms capable of selling physical products along with audio and video service offerings is definitely going to be an upward trend in 2017 due to the synergy between the two sectors. A prime example of this is Amazon, an e-commerce company, which has now jumped into video streaming. Allowing free shipping of Amazon products on Prime Video memberships has very quickly allowed the company to transform most of its e-commerce consumers as streaming service subscribers.

Rural will drive the internet growth and local languages content will rise:

India is estimated to have 250 million rural internet users, while non-metros are driving 60% of the overall e-commerce growth. Nearly 43% of internet users are non-English, a number which is estimated to grow to 62% by 2020. This could see a tangible increase in regional language-based content available on the digital medium, as more and more OTT platforms and production houses develop entertainment tailored to meet the specific requirements and sensibilities of their regional audiences.

Source: IAMAI India Internet Report, Indian Readership Survey

Micro transactions & cashless transactions:

According to a Frost & Sullivan report, there are 66 million unique connected video viewers in India, of which 1.3 million are paid video subscribers. These video subscription numbers, however, are not absolute, and fluctuate drastically every month. But with the country heading towards becoming a cashless economy and colossal changes expected in the way netizens make their day-to-day transactions, the number of OTT subscribers is expected to grow and stabilize, even as the number of unique online video viewers grows to 355 million by 2020.

E-payments and mobile wallets are getting more popular among the millennials in the country. Digitization of cash will accelerate over the next few years. Non-cash payments, which today constitute 22% of all consumer payments, will overtake cash transactions by 2023.

Digital payments instruments will drive the growth in non-cash payments, according to a Google BCG Report. Micro-transactions will form a substantial portion of the industry, with over 50% of person-to-merchant transactions expected to be under INR 100 according to the study. The report also predicts that the value of remittances and money transfer that will pass through alternate digital payment instruments will double to 30% by 2020.

Source: Google – BCG

TV ad revenue to shift to Digital by 2017 in Asia-Pacific

Net advertising revenue in the Asia-Pacific has grown at 5.8% in 2016 and is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% till 2020. This reflects stable but moderate growth across both mature and emerging markets in the region.

India and China will continue to be the fastest growing ad markets in the region, expanding in excess of 10% and 8% respectively according to a new report by Media Partners Asia, an advisory, research, and consulting firm. The share of digital media in the advertising market in Asia-Pacific is projected to overtake that of television by 2017 and increase to 44.2% by 2020, up from 30.7% in 2015. The biggest contributors to this growth will be Australia, China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

Although television will remain a critical advertising medium, its regional advertising share will decline as ad spending in Australia and China shifts to digital. However, television will continue to be the biggest advertising medium in key markets such as India, Japan, and Korea even in 2020. The Media Partners Asia report forecasts that over the next five years, the fastest growing markets in Asia-Pacific will be India at 10.7%, China at 8.4% and Indonesia at 8.2%. In 2015, the net advertising revenue in Asia-Pacific grew by 5.3%, the slowest rate of growth since 2009. Advertising expenditure growth continued to remain slow in Indonesia and contracted in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Social Platforms

Mobile video accounts for 50% of mobile traffic around the world and, by 2021, video will account for 70% of the overall mobile internet traffic. (Source: Ericsson Mobility Report).
1 out of 8 people around the world accesses Facebook on a mobile phone at least once a day. (Source: BI Intelligence estimates, Facebook)

Snapchat is the up-and-coming disrupter. It isn’t just mobile-first; it is mobile-ONLY and is witnessing exponential growth in its mobile audience. (Source: Snapchat, BI Intelligence estimates)

Skype, WhatsApp video call has brought the world and its people closer to one another. LIVE serves the same purpose, allowing brands an opportunity to add personality and a personal touch to their communication. LIVE comes as a breath of fresh air to engage with dormant audiences and boost engagement. From a brand’s point of view, this can be a way of showing people what actually happens behind the scene rather than pushing out branded content all the time. This will allow them to tap Audiences which might have otherwise been inaccessible to them. For example, while only a few thousands could attend the Coldplay concert in India, millions could view it on the LIVE broadcast. Additionally, when a brand goes LIVE, it gives an assurance to audiences that there is no gimmick involved and everything that is being showcased is true, which adds credibility. With LIVE, the brand and consumer relation stands to evolve. Facebook LIVE has started a new trail of information share from brands. Some good examples of LIVE video are the El Clasico LIVE voting on SonyLIV, which got a reach of 1 million organically in only 90 minutes while the match was live. Multiple creative uses of the feature can be seen in the coming year, as marketers will look to use it differently to engage their target audiences. With LIVE expected to evolve further in future iterations, brands and marketers can look forward to exciting times ahead.

Cord Cutting:

The increased digitisation of entertainment means that cord cutting will continue to grow in the coming year as well. One in every four millennials does not subscribe to pay TV, and 13% have never used a pay TV subscription. Digital TV Research estimates that the number of pay TV subscribers in Canada and the U.S. will fall, while Statista predicts that there will only remain 96.4 million pay TV households by 2019.

People have been ditching their pay TV connections due to the lack of interesting content on-demand and the high costs of subscriptions. OTT platforms, by providing viewers the flexibility of accessing their favourite content at their fingertips, anytime, anywhere, have been winning this battle.

On-demand platforms are adding TV programs to their bundles, bringing in a better content library of old as well as original programming, localizing in niche territories, and keeping up with technological innovations such as 4K, AR, VR and 360-degree video production. This will allow them to leapfrog appointment-based TV broadcasters and establish OTT platforms as the default medium of entertainment content consumption.

(Abhishek Joshi is Sony Pictures Networks India VP & Head – Marketing & Analytics, Digital Business. The views expressed here are personal, and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to them.)

February 7, 2017